Untouchables
by JVNemesis
Summary: Witness the journey of master and apprentice in an epic story. As each learns about the other, one will emerge from the darkness; the other will descend deeper into it then ever before, never to return. OCs oneshot. Joint contest project with Foxkong.


A/Ns at bottom.

Disclaimer: Neither of us own Starfox. Anaiya belongs to JVNemesis, and Jafar belongs to Foxkong.

Untouchables

Anaiya stared absently at the knife balanced on the tip of her finger, her free hand drumming impatiently on the _Nemesis's_ dashboard. The silver vixen glanced out of the cockpit to the unrelieved blackness surrounding her with one thought in her mind:

_Why does hyperspace have to be so _boring?

She'd never really thought about it before. Why would she? She was only doing it now because there was _absolutely nothing else to do!_ She'd never spent so long in a cockpit before. A trip from Corneria to Venom with no breaks was not exactly a short jump. She had to remind herself of _why_ she was putting up with this. What kind of idiot lived on _Venom_, anyway? Come on, the planet was friggin' empty!

The knife wavered, and Anaiya shifted her finger slightly to compensate, snorting irritably. Money made people do stupid things sometimes. Most of the time. Damn Raaze and his money. And his not-so subtle threats. Those were a part of it, too. Well, she was nearly there now, so no real use in whining about it. It didn't stop her, though.

_Why the hell does this nut job live all the way on the edge of the damn system?_ _He couldn't have lived on Katina or something, oh no, it's got to be _Venom._ He's probably crazier than the last idiot to live there. _

Well, according to Raaze, this old hermit, Jafar something-or-other, was a former assassin, a damn good one, too. Apparently, he owed Anaiya's boss a few favors, and the pussycat was calling them in. She remembered the feline's parting statement:

"_Your last mission was very nearly a failure due to your incompetence. I should have known you weren't ready yet. I am sending you to an old…_friend_…of mine. He will make you into the perfect weapon for me. Leave. Now. He lives on the surface of Venom. You should have no trouble finding him. Oh, and don't come back unless you can beat Shran. Rest assured; I _will_ be testing you on your return._

Anaiya snorted again and thrust a rude gesture behind her, in the general direction of the planet Raaze should be on. _Yeah, well, screw you too. Not my fault they were _waiting_ for someone to come take the damn file. And I _still _got it, so what are you whining about?_

As much as she'd have liked to, there was absolutely no way she would _ever_ say again that disrespectful to Raaze again. The first lesson had been rather painful. So, as much as it galled, Anaiya was going to train to train for god-knows how long with some sand-crazed ex-assassin hermit on the most remote planet in the Lylat system.

_Wonderful._

The knife finally slipped from her finger and fell to her lap. The vixen stared curiously at it for a moment, and then her eyes narrowed.

"_God damn it!" _She shouted, pounding her fists on the dashboard. Her furious glare settled on the still-blinking timer ticking upwards.

_Two hours, fifty-seven minutes, forty-two seconds._ She'd balanced that damn knife for _three hours!_ Still, it was an improvement. The previous attempt had failed at two hours forty-five minutes, and that one had been better than the one before that…

A light flickered on the _Nemesis's_ dashboard, and she glanced over.

APPROACHING DESTINIATION. ETA: FIVE MINUTES.

"Friggin' _finally_," the irate vixen muttered, sheathing the black combat knife on her belt.

_Let's get this over with. _

The crimson and silver Arwing touched down on the barren planet, a cloud of dust swirling around the ship. The cockpit opened with a hiss of repressurization, and the vixen swung herself over the side, dropping to the ground with a _thud._ Anaiya straightened slowly, brushing non-existent specks of dust from her royal blue bodysuit. The lightly armored outfit would stand up to a blaster shot, but did not hinder her agility.

The vixen stared around her new environment with a bored expression. Venom was a desolate wasteland, the barren horizon dotted with laser-gutted vehicles and crashed starfighters; reminders of the humiliating defeat the Venomians had suffered at the hands of StarFox. Anaiya chuckled.

Off to her left was the location for the meeting Raaze had set up. A ruined temple, one of many the late Andross had constructed. Lasers had scored the sides, destroying chunks of the Andross busts. _Who was I meeting?_ She frowned slightly. _Oh yeah, this 'Jafar'. I doubt he's as good as Raaze makes him out to be._

All in all, it was not a place the vixen would enjoy spending time, let alone living in, as the hermit apparently did. He was probably insane from the isolation after all this time. _This is more than likely a waste of time, but what choice do I have?_ Grumbling to herself, the vixen strode forward into the shadows of the temple's archway, her hand drumming a tattoo on the grip of the black pistol strapped to her thigh.

The interior was just as dismal as the exterior. The high, arched ceiling was impressive and all, but crumbling stone and cracked walls did nothing for the décor. Anaiya stopped and sighed in irritation. How was she supposed to find the old lunatic in here? Muttering angrily, she walked down the center corridor, glancing disparagingly at the carvings on the walls.

The corridor bent into a curve ahead, and Anaiya could see dancing light flickering on the wall. _A fire, maybe?_ She edged around the corner.

The room was large, much larger than the antechamber. As she'd guessed, a fire burned in a pit situated at the center of the hall, crackling in the silence. A figure sat in front of the blaze, his back to the vixen. A dark red cloak was draped about him and pulled up over his head, concealing any details from Anaiya. _Jafar, unless there's some other moron living out here._

The figured shifted slightly, edging closer to the fire in an attempt to warm himself. It _was_ rather cold, the vixen realized.

Anaiya smirked smugly. He had no idea she was here. _Some pro he is._ The vixen decided to give him a little surprise for being caught off-guard. She inched forward on the tips of her toes, careful not to make any noise.

He twitched.

Anaiya blinked, startled. She hadn't made any noise; she was sure of it. The vixen's grip around her pistol tightened.

The figure snapped his fingers, the sharp crack breaking the thick silence bathing the room. The vixen frowned. _What was that for?_ She started to draw her weapon, but froze as something touched the back of her neck. Anaiya had no need to turn around to clarify what the cold metal was.

The vixen was shocked, and felt no small amount of anger. It made no sense. There hadn't been anyone there. There was _no one_ besides the two of them in this room, she was positive. And it wasn't possible for someone to have followed so closely behind her to place a gun at the base of her skull. She would have heard them.

_So, does it end so early? I never even got to kill Raaze…_ Anaiya brushed that train of thought away. She was _not_ going to die here.

"Be wary of your surroundings, you never know what you can't see, boy," the cloaked man spoke coldly, not even bothering to turn and face her.

Anaiya stiffened. He thought she was a _boy?_ Her eyes narrowed. He'd regret that. Maybe if he deigned to look at her, he'd realize his error. And she _was_ aware of her surroundings; but this situation was impossible. As stupid as it sounded, there really _wasn't _any way for someone to have followed closely enough to be holding that gun. The weapon in question hadn't shifted in the slightest yet.

Time to do something. Having guns pointed at her head was not something she enjoyed. Ever so slowly, she inched her blaster out of its holster and held it at hip-level, painstakingly lining it up with the crouched figure.

Somehow, he must have noticed. Jafar snapped his fingers again, a gesture Anaiya would soon come to despise. Without warning, her weapon was inexplicably jerked from her grip to spin across the room, clattering to the floor far out of her reach.

Her eyes widened in confusion. _What the hell?_ Nothing had touched it; it was like an invisible hand had pulled it away from her and hurled the weapon away. She had no time to worry about the newest mystery, for the hermit stood and snorted in disgust, still not looking at her.

"The fools keep sending me such pathetic pupils to train and you have to be the worst yet. If I was your enemy I would have blown your brains out before you even stepped into this room, boy." With a third snap of his fingers, the barrel of the weapon pressed against her skull was removed. Whoever was behind her certainly knew his signals well.

Anaiya ground her teeth in fury. He dared insult her? That arrogant bastard was going to regret every one of his comments; and now that there was no gun keeping her from attacking, the vixen moved.

Her right hand blurred to her belt and drew a long, black combat knife as she lunged forward, intent on skewering the hermit where he stood.

With something that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle, Jafar contemptuously sidestepped her hasty attack, flaring his cloak to entangle her in its crimson folds.

Anaiya stumbled forward, blinded by the concealing cloak. Her crude leap had overshot her target, and now she couldn't stop. The vixen felt the heat of the fire on her legs and her momentum carried her forward into its flames. It didn't burn her, yet, due to her protective armor, but it was most definitely uncomfortable.

With a few quick slashes of her knife, Anaiya freed herself from the garment. She spun to face her attacker, only to freeze as she felt something sharp tickle her throat. Her eyes followed the long, burnished gold blade of a saber, up to the yellow-furred hand that held it, past that to the cold green eyes that observed her. She thought she detected a flicker of surprise flash through them, but it was gone the next second.

The wolf that had to be Jafar was not what she had expected of a hermit. He was dressed in some kind of archaic armor that seemed to be metal plates stuck together to protect him. It looked to have been painted over; the white was fading in some spots to reveal the black beneath. The small bits of fur that were exposed were a kind of crude yellow, tinged with gray.

"A girl," he said in what sounded like amusement before removing his saber from her throat.

"Yeah," Anaiya said challengingly, "that a problem?" She would not be talked down to by anyone, especially this man.

"I will not train a _girl_ as weak as you," the lupine spat scathingly, crossing his arms.

Anaiya's eyes narrowed. The way he said her gender annoyed her. He made it sound like an insult.

"I'm not weak," she hissed back, "you haven't seen what I can do. And what do you have against women?"

"Your gender has proved to be worthless in the mercenary world for a variety of reasons. You get killed far too easily," Jafar said scornfully, raising his saber again.

This time, Anaiya was having none of it. Worthless, was she?

The vixen's knife, still clenched in her hand, shot forward again. Jafar's saber batted the weapon away in disgust before it came near him. As Anaiya had counted on. Her other hand twitched as it reached for his now-exposed throat, and her concealed wrist blade extended with an ominous _shink_ of metal, stopping less than an inch from the lupine's flesh. At the same time, she felt his blade come to rest on her shoulder.

Jafar raised an eyebrow.

"Not bad, girl."

Anaiya opened her mouth in mock surprise, her eyes widening.

"Oh, I'm sorry; did you just get beat by a _worthless girl_?"

The lupine smirked at her.

"I would hardly call that _beating_ me. With your blade at my throat and mine at yours, this is a draw, not a victory, not a defeat."

"If you say so," the vixen said dismissively. "Care to revise your opinion of me now?"

"No. The feint wasn't bad, but luck was with you. It won't always be so. Don't let it go to your head."

"There's no such thing as luck," Anaiya told him. "So, what now? Will you train me, or do I carve you a new one here and now?"

Jafar's smirk widened.

"Your arrogance is astounding. None of my other students had such a swelled ego. Then again," he said thoughtfully, "none of them could perform a trick such as that on our first meeting. If you are so determined to do this, then you shall become my apprentice. I must warn you that this process will transform you from your loveable self" he smirked slightly "into a cold and calculating, heartless bitch." Anaiya raised her eyebrows at the rather vivid description. "Your training will be much different than anything you have ever experienced. I shall mold you into a killer, the perfect assassin, for whom anything and everything is a weapon. You will accomplish any goal set before you, and survive against all odds. After I'm finished with you, you will not recognize the person staring at you from the mirror. Can you do that?"

The lupine ended his speech with another crack of his fingers, and the weapon that had been pressed against the vixen's head floated over to him, completely unsupported. Anaiya saw it without really noticing.

Jafar's description had fit perfectly the image she feared. She wouldn't be the same person anymore. She would be a killer, an assassin, a weapon. Nothing more. Could she leave it all behind, and become that?

Anaiya looked the lupine in the eyes and retracted her wrist blade. A small smile played across her face.

"Nice speech. When do we start?"

Solar's bright rays could even bring some light to the dark, deep corridors of Venom, but not this specific temple. I preferred to train in darkness, the only element that an assassin worshiped, for darkness was your only real friend in this occupation. I had blocked every source of light with a flick of my wrist, the stone moved like clockwork to cover every little hole. The room where Anaiya had met me became a training room in mere seconds as the last source of light was eclipsed.

The vixen stood in the exact center of the room, her wrist blade swaying slightly, cutting through the air with a quiet whistling sound. Her HUD been removed, much to the girl's dismay, but it was necessary. This was an exercise of the senses, I had told her. Amid the crumbling limestone pillars I lurked, moving ever so slightly, and edging towards my prey like a shadow. My newest apprentice was standing relatively still, her breathing light, her concentration unquestionable. My saber was drawn and I slowly made my way forward, inch-by-inch.

_One could say that sight is the most useful of all the senses, but an assassin must master all five, not merely a single one. You must be able to see beyond without eyes, to be able to taste poison, to smell gasoline, to feel a change in the temperature and to hear a pin falling to the ground. All are highly valuable skills. In an environment where there is no light your other senses are tested. But can they make up for the lack of sight? Of course, if you have no wits then you will never be able to master the five senses, let alone survive._

I snapped my fingers, a sound that cracked through the darkness like a whip. My apprentice crouched, wrongly believing that I was near.

"Don't be too rash my apprentice, let the darkness guide you," I said coolly as I paced the perimeter.

"I'd like to see you doing this, old man," the vixen replied, evidently frustrated as she spun around.

I looked over my shoulder and carefully moved the small rock that that I had _picked up _and in a split second whipped it across the room at the vixen. Anaiya's response was quick, as expected, but not quick enough. She almost sidestepped the stone, but the projectile clipped her armor. I heard a low growl and smiled in response, despite the fact that she could not see this. I crept to a different pillar and picked up another rock, this time manually, and hurled the stone at my apprentice. With no warning, and by extension no time to react, the stone hit dead center and the vixen stumbled for a second before regaining her footing and slipping off to the side of the room. I shook my head in despair as I heard the rock fall to the ground.

_She does not seem to understand what the point of this exercise is. Although her reaction time is exceptional, it is not swift enough. If that rock were a bullet, she would be lying in her own pool of blood now. Anaiya needs to learn to expect the unexpected; you must believe that your opponent knows more then you. Always take extra precautions in unfamiliar territory, I must teach her this as well._

She was moving now; I guess she figured out that standing in one place was not a very good idea when rocks were being hurled at you. I followed her like a shadow, waiting to see if she would notice me.

Five minutes passed, and still no response. Anaiya stopped occasionally, taking a wide look around and then carefully picking up a rock or two and throwing them with no discernable pattern. Not only was she giving away her position, but this seemed like a complete lack of effort on her part. Was she trying to be creative? Maybe score some much needed brownie points by trying another tactic? I really had no idea what she was doing until we made one more round.

She was walking normally; her strides were the same, her breathing just as shallow, yet she seemed more composed. Anaiya stopped at the third pillar and turned around and looked right into my eyes. I held my breath and lowered my saber to my side. After a moment, she continued on. It seemed that the girl had somehow missed me.

I couldn't believe it._ Was she really _this_ dull? Maybe that trick with the wrist blade was a fluke; it must be if she can't even notice someone following her. She looked directly at me. I might as well just start yelling and screaming, maybe _that_ will get through her thick head," _The vixen started to walk again and decided to end the lesson right there. I took a few steps forward, and my right foot kicked a small stone that had somehow appeared on the ground. My eyes widened. I think I even smiled for a second before I brought my saber up to parry her attack. For a split second all was silent, and then she struck, her lean form flaring up out of the darkness. She was kneeling about a foot away from me and when I slashed my saber across she avoided the attack. Before I could react, she leapt forward and tackled me to the ground like a charging elephant, her blade getting caught up in my armor for a second. With a snap of my fingers I brought some light into the room and I witnessed one of the most devilish expressions ever conceived. Anaiya was enjoying this moment immensely, she relished in the success of her ploy. Although she was on top of me, she made no motion to remove herself until she noticed her blade, lodged in my chest. A rather horrible sucking sound was made as the blade retracted; yet only a small bit of blood trickled out of the wound. I coughed up a bit more of the crimson liquid; luckily she had removed herself before I spat all over her.

"Oops," the vixen said in a rather careless tone as she studied my injury.

"It's fine, you just punctured my armor, now how about you start the fire up for dinner," I said somewhat groggily as I picked myself up off the ground. My left hand was quickly drenched in blood as I tried to stem the flow, but it made no difference. Anaiya finally left, walking over to the next room. I slowly made my way forward using the wall as an impromptu crutch. In a few minutes I made it to the small makeshift lounge and sat at the edge of the fire when a grey cloak fell on my head. I did not have to look up to know who handed it to me. It wasn't like there was anyone else on the same planet besides the two of us. I gratefully accepted it and wrapped the new cloak around my body.

"You did well today, Anaiya," I said quietly, using my free hand to wipe the blood off my chin. _She's studying me with her sharp eyes, eyes like knives. This could be her turning point; maybe she is finally becoming a better killer. After two months of training something was bound to happen, too bad it had to happen like this. I hope she does not question my motives or else things may get personal._

"I stabbed you in the heart, you should be dead, and screw your resilience to pain," she paused for a second as she stoked the fire with a piece of wood, and then continued, her eyes locked on my wound.

"How 'bout you tell me who you really are, I'm not as stupid as you seem to think and someone as old and 'wise' as you should've guessed that," Anaiya said grimly. Then she motioned towards my wound. I looked down and was startled to see a large red patch developing, staining the cloak like a disease.

"Listen, my apprentice, before all this you and me were entirely different people. You obviously know that. By taking this mantle, you are forgetting about who you once were and you are focusing on who you will be."

I decided to tread on some taboo ground. It had to come out eventually. "Anaiya, in the past few months every time I have mentioned your past, you give me the same old story. 'You were on the run from the law and our mutual friend Mr. Raaze picked you up and took you under his wing.' Well, you and I both know that there is more to the story then that. I will tell you a few details about myself, in exchange for the rest of your story. When you were still in diapers I was fighting on the frontlines, killing anyone that got in my way, for I fought for king and country. My brother, as the eldest son, received the throne when my father, Czar, passed on. As you know, the Fortuna family, which resides outside of Lylat, is very powerful, and our reach quite far. However, one day there was uprising, and several nobles in our family rebelled and took the planet of Fortuna in their name. My brother grew paranoid; everyone was an enemy in his eyes. As a result, he exiled many of my kin and, eventually, myself, for he felt that I would challenge for the throne. I hid myself in Lylat, but one day a certain _someone_ discovered my true identity. I'm sure you already know who that is. I was blackmailed and forced to pay a bond if I wanted my secret remain such any longer. However, since I had no money, I agreed that I would train any man he sent my way, in return my debt has been reduced every year. I believe after you I'm a free man again. Though, knowing Raaze, that's probably not going to happen," I paused for a second as I looked into the fire.

_To think I've been reduced to a mere teacher, here I thought at my age I would have more _professional_ role. Looking at her, with those eyes full of anger, reminds me too much of myself. I've fallen into a dark hole and, hopefully, after my debt has been paid, I can finally get out, escape the cell that she so desperately is trying to enter._

The vixen mimicked me, staring into the dancing flames for a long moment before sighing.

"I guess you're right," she said solemnly, gazing at me. "Once I finish this training, it won't matter anymore, will it?" Anaiya shook her head, answering her own question. "Okay, well, I'm not really very good at this, but here goes." She frowned slightly, collecting her thoughts.

"My parents were important people, owners of an exceptionally successful business company. They were good at it, but their parenting skills were somewhat…lacking." Her expression darkened. "They weren't abusive; far from it. They paid absolutely no attention to me. I pretty much fended for myself; sometimes the maids around the house would take pity on me, but not often. So I high-tailed it out of there as soon as I could. I think I was twelve or so when I finally mustered the nerve, and money, to get out. I went to Corneria, changed my name, and pretty much lived on the streets until I was old enough to enter the Academy. That was when I first learned stealth and evasion; my parents set out a rather hefty sum of money for my safe return. Not out of any concern for my well being, mind you, but it would have looked bad if their only kid vanished and they didn't even try looking for her. Needless to say, I got really good at disappearing really fast. A lot of my time was spent dodging bounty hunters, no easy feat for a kid, in all modesty.

"So yeah, I eventually got into the Academy. Needed a ship to get around, didn't I? Obviously, I scored top of the class, record high, actually, in Escape and Evasion, for when you get shot down in enemy territory. Decent marks in everything else, nothing too special. Then I met _him._" Her eyes took on a faraway look.

"He was smitten the moment he saw me, I think. Oh, _he_ is Fox McCloud. Or was. I'm sure you've heard of him? Yes, of course you have. Anyway, a few years into the Academy, we started dating. At first, it was the most awkward thing I'd ever done." She laughed humorlessly. "I'd never done anything remotely similar to that before. Never before had I had a relationship even approaching that. I just didn't know how to respond. I had to get some help from one of his friends." She snorted. "Imagine that. When he introduced me to his circle of friends, I was floored. Friends were a foreign concept to me. They kind of laughed my reaction off, and that was fine with me. Why would I want to stand out?" Her gaze hardened, looking as if she was trying to put out the fire crackling in front of her with sheer willpower. "Opening up to them was the hardest thing I've ever done. For the longest time, I couldn't bring myself to trust them. Then they saved my ass from an overly zealous bounty hunter, trying to cash in on my reward. Probably would've killed me, if they hadn't stepped in. After that, we grew much closer, especially me and Fox." The glare she hurled my way said in no uncertain terms that she would brook no questions on that subject.

"We were practically inseparable, except for that time I disappeared for a month," she added thoughtfully. "Someone bombed the ship my parents were traveling on. Killed 'em both. Couldn't tell you why, but I went to the funeral. I never liked them at all, but I just felt I had to go. Of course, I didn't tell anyone. They didn't even know who I really was. Their faces were certainly interesting when I finally came back. Katt nearly beat me to death." Anaiya smiled, reminiscing. "Good times, those were. It all came crashing down in our final year though." Her smile vanished, replaced with a fierce frown.

"It was right before the end of the year exams, and Fox stayed after to practice a bit extra. I came looking for him, and apparently, he had gotten called down to the headmaster's office. So I went to look for him." The vixen's face was grim. "The headmaster, Bleak, I think his name was, was in the process of kicking the stuffing out of Fox. I think he was in league with Andross. This was right before the war erupted. Me being the idiot I was, promptly jumped in. He was good, really good, and I lost ground fast. Eventually, I grabbed a pen from somewhere and shanked him in the throat. That was when it all went bad. I panicked. I didn't want to face the police. I had no credible background; they'd dig past that, and discover who I really was. I still regret this, but I ran. I said goodbye to Fox, and ran. With the help of a friend of mine, I managed to fake my death via the explosion of my ship. I took off, joined up with a mercenary troupe, and the rest is history." She swallowed. "Haven't seen them since. That was six years ago."

She fell silent.

I was startled, to say the least. I had never expected anything like that. I opened my mouth to question her, but she beat me to the punch.

"How about you tell me about your little magic trick," the vixen said playfully as she snapped her fingers. I smiled at her coy nature, to think that she would become a deadly assassin one day. She was certainly good at changing the subject; that was for sure. I decided not to probe her past again, as it would undoubtedly bring up bad memories and, probably, no small amount of anger.

"This I can't address completely, but I will say that my people always had a knack for surviving even in the stickiest situation. You Lylatians and Cenerians might call it telekinesis, but I have a different name for my ability. I like to call it Soul Possession." I snapped my fingers and the fire blazed like never before, the flames licking away hungrily at the wood. Another snap and the fire was reduced to almost mere ashes.

The vixen stared for a second, her eyes narrowed, and then she looked up at me.

"Neat trick."

-

"Fire," the lupine ordered imperiously.

Anaiya complied and pulled the trigger of the ancient projectile gun, sending out a burst of bullets, which shredded the empty food dish. She lowered the heavy weapon, massaging her aching shoulder.

"Which museum did you raid to get this old thing, anyway?" She asked Jafar as she inserted a fresh clip into the weapon, not really expecting an answer. She received none.

Just for giggles, the vixen lowered the weapon to hip level and locked the trigger down, spraying the entire clip down the hallway in a matter of seconds. The gun kicked hard, her aim wavering as the bullets tore chunks out of the walls.

"Runs outta ammo pretty fast, doesn't it?" She observed absently. Still no answer. Annoyed, the vixen dropped the gun unceremoniously on the table and turned to face Jafar, her mouth opening angrily-

-Only to be met with a punch to the face. The vixen tumbled backward, skidding across the floor and holding her nose, which was spurting blood.

"What the hell was that for?" She shouted angrily, jumping to her feet. The lupine didn't respond yet again, but he did step forward and kick at her. This time, however, she was ready.

The vixen ducked under the blow, blood spraying from her nose as her head jerked. Her response consisted of a series of lightning-fast strikes that Jafar evaded. Deciding to improvise, Anaiya planted a hand squarely on the ground, flipping up in a half handstand, lashing out with her outstretched legs. Caught by surprise, Jafar took one good hit in the chest before recovering and deflecting her remaining blows.

But Anaiya, enraged by the surprise attack, would not be denied. Somersaulting forward over his leg, the vixen thrusting her flat palm up towards his face. If he broke her nose, she'd return the favor. Although, with this attack, there was always the chance of the bone being thrust upwards into his brain. Anaiya struck anyway, managing to just graze his nose before he spun away. A few strikes later, Jafar was still on the defensive, retreating under her onslaught. He was good, but he was aging, and unarmed combat was her specialty.

After a particularly vicious blow that came dangerously close to the wolf's throat, Anaiya was moving in for the finish when she heard that sound she hated so much: Jafar's fingers snapping. And suddenly, there was cold metal touching the back of her skull. Again.

The vixen glared. "You cheated," she accused. "That was unfair."

Jafar's eyebrows quirked in disbelief. "Whatever possessed you of the notion that I would fight _fair_? What have I been teaching you all this time? Take _every_ advantage you can; forget promises, rules, even the highly overrated _honor._ If it will enable you to survive and accomplish your objective, break all the rules."

Anaiya nodded slowly as the gun clattered to the floor. She should have expected something like this. There was always a lesson, in everything Jafar did. And this one….

She would definitely remember it.

Anaiya stared blankly at the crimson eyepiece of her HUD. CALL TERMINATED was blinking across the device.

Her temporary home was merely a small chamber in the vast temple she and Jafar lived in, bland and empty, but it was good enough. She never complained, as Jafar had little better than this himself.

Four months had passed since she had first met Jafar. In that time, she'd changed, and she knew it. She couldn't enter a room now without taking in every possible ambush point, every single route she could slip out through. And devising at least two ways to kill every person in the room. The worst part: it didn't bother her anymore. At first, she'd been confused and a bit revolted at what she was doing, but it was so easy now. Over the time they'd spent together, she and Jafar had become, dare she say it, friends. Four months of seeing no one but each other could do that. In between training sessions, they'd joked and laughed together. At least, for the first few months. After that, the vixen remembered how she'd slowly closed herself off, ignoring his attempts at humor and conversation. The training had hardened her; shriveled her heart and turned her emotions, or what was left of them, into a cold block of ice.

'_Jafar's usefulness to me has come to an end. Eliminate him, and return to me. If he hasn't fixed you yet, nothing will.'_

Anaiya sighed. The climax of the past four months was here. She had a spar with Jafar in just a few hours.

The vixen looked up, and her eyes hardened. She took all her emotions, all feelings, and shoved them far away. It was time to complete her mission, to sever her ties with her best, her only, friend.

Anaiya got to her feet unsteadily, panting slightly. Her chest rose and fell as she straightened, staring across the uneven roof of the temple at Jafar. You had to be careful up here; there were numerous dips and holes in the surface, some leading straight down to the very depths of the temple. A chill wind howled past them, stirring up clouds of dust and sand while ruffling their fur. The sky was dark; a storm was coming. To Anaiya, it seemed too perfect; like a scene from a movie.

_But there's never been, and never will be, a movie like this._

The graying wolf raised a single eyebrow inquisitively. "You were not fighting as you usually do. You were weaker." It was not a question, but it demanded an answer.

Anaiya inclined her head. "Correct."

"Care to explain why?"

Anaiya closed her eyes and breathed out. _So this is it. _Her hand twitched toward the grip of her holstered blaster. _Should I just shoot him? Or should I say something? _

The vixen's brow furrowed. _I think I owe him an explanation. Besides, _she smirked cruelly, _how can I resist pointing out the irony?_

"Raaze contacted me today," she said simply, "with a new mission."

"Oh?"

"Yes." Anaiya turned her rapidly cooling gaze on her now ex-teacher. "He feels you have outlived your usefulness."

Far from being angry or insulted, as she expected, a small smile played across Jafar's muzzle.

"I see," he murmured. "You were merely conserving your energy to defeat me when it mattered. Clever, but then you went and squandered your advantage. You should have just attacked me. You disappoint me."

Anaiya's lips curled at his feeble attempt to provoke her. "I doubt it. I merely felt I owed you an explanation. And a few insults."

Jafar chuckled. "You realize that, in telling me what you intend, you've reduced your chances of success to near zero?"

"Perhaps. Though, again, I doubt it. If you are aware of me, then you will fight harder, and it will be more of a challenge."

"An assassin should not be looking for a challenge," Jafar reminded her, "you should be looking to finish as quickly and easily as possible."

"Ah." Anaiya's smirk widened. "That's where you are mistaken. This is not an assassination; it is an execution."

"If that is how you see it. Do you also see the irony? Not a month ago you would have been revolted at the very idea of an execution, and yet here you are, grinning like a child at the prospect of one."

"I see and accept that. Do _you_ see the irony? Your demise will be brought about by the best of your students. I suppose you could say if you hadn't been so good, you wouldn't have lost."

Jafar nodded thoughtfully. "It seems I have created a monster out of you. A perfect killer. I would have liked to see what became of you, but I do not intend to die here. I will not hold back."

"_I_ intend to complete my mission," Anaiya replied coldly. "It has been a pleasure."

_Go._

And with that, the vixen whipped her blaster from its holster, firing a pair of shots as she charged. Jafar's head snapped to the side and he twisted, dodging the lasers as his fingers cracked. The weapon in Anaiya's grip spun around to face her, and the trigger depressed. The vixen reacted instantly, releasing the weapon and spinning, sprinting on as the red flame streaked past her. Her left arm came up and the dart launcher concealed in her wrist guard spat a trio of poisoned spikes towards the graying lupine. Jafar whirled his cloak about him, snagging the darts in the folds of the crimson cloth. By the time he finished Anaiya had closed with him, a pair of large black knives leading. Jafar's golden saber blurred from its sheath at his side, intercepting the vixen's weapons with an ear-piercing clash of metal.

Anaiya knew she had to work fast. She had to keep his hands busy enough warding off his blows that he wouldn't have a chance to use that ability of his. If he managed to turn one of her knives around, it would be trouble. Jafar was fast, very fast, but Anaiya was equally, if not more, speedy, and she had two weapons to tip the scales. It had to be brief and brutal.

The vixen slashed low at the wolf, at the same time bringing the dagger she held reversed in her off hand down towards him like a hammer. Jafar swayed like a leaf in a gale, dodging one stab and stopping the low slash with the pommel of his weapon. Anaiya promptly pivoted on her heel, spinning to his opposite side and attacking again. Jafar leapt backward, whipping his cloak between them, the swirling fabric obscuring Anaiya's view. The vixen's knives made short work of the garment, their razor edges shredding it. As she completed a gouge with her left weapon, she let loose a quartet of darts from the launcher. Three of the projectiles became entangled in the cloak, but the last one tore clean through. The vixen heard, with no small amount of satisfaction, a startled grunt from beyond the sanguine veil. She waited.

And then dove to the side an instant later when she didn't hear Jafar's crippled body collapsing to the ground. Luckily for her, because the seemingly successful dart came ripping back through the settling drape, whistling through the space she'd occupied half a second before. Anaiya dashed forward again as Jafar appeared in front of her. One of those projectile pistols he favored floated, unsupported in the air as the warrior flourished his sword.

Now she had a dilemma; it was unlikely her armor could take a bullet from that gun and come through intact. It could disperse some energy blasts, but projectiles were different. Those bullets hurt like a bitch, too, and would play hell with her speed if she were hit with one. Making up her mind, Anaiya acted.

She whipped a small grenade from her belt and hurled it toward Jafar, not bothering to activate it. As she hoped, Jafar traded the chance to shoot her to avoid being hit with what he thought was a live explosive. The dud grenade came hurtling back towards her, but she ignored it as it bounced off her chest. A quick leap brought her in close to the lupine and she planted a heel in his chest, unbalancing him as his armor creaked in protest. His saber came up and she barely managed to lean back to avoid being decapitated. Even so, she felt the blade bite into her cheek, slicing it open from her ear to the corner of her lip. Then the knife in her right hand spun around and launched itself towards her chest.

Desperate, Anaiya threw herself backward into a roll, her knife cutting deeply into her arm. Coming up out of her evasive dive, the vixen saw her traitorous weapon hurtling back towards her again. She ducked as it whizzed past her, and then fired her dart launcher for a third time. A trio of spikes was expelled before the device clicked, signaling the end of its ammunition reserves. Jafar, his attention still focused on the flying knife, didn't react quickly enough to stop the darts impacting his chest. Disappointingly, for Anaiya at least, the projectiles did not have the force to penetrate the protective cuirass the wolf wore. They merely pierced the outermost layer and stuck there.

The vixen, disregarding the slight letdown, fell into a frenzy of cuts and slashes, forcing the old wolf on the defensive again. They exchanged a flurry of blows with no clear victor either way. Anaiya realized the longer she delayed, the better chance that Jafar would find something to do with that power of his, like activating a grenade on her belt. It was time to finish it.

Before she could do anything, however, something slammed into the back of her left shoulder. Agony seared from the knife she'd forgotten Jafar still controlled, which was currently impaling her arm. Ignoring the pain as best she could, the vixen lunged with her remaining knife, slashing at her former teacher. Jafar knocked her blade away in an eerily familiar move. Apparently he remembered as well, for when her right hand came up, he stepped backward, smirking, out of range of her wrist blade. He wouldn't let her pull the same trick he did before. Or so he thought.

Anaiya smiled cruelly. "You underestimate me," she whispered.

Jafar had time to cock his head quizzically before Anaiya activated her newly modified wrist blade. The blade was launched from its sheath like a bullet, slamming full force into the graying lupine. While they slowed the weapon down, the metal plates did not fully stop the projectile this time, and they bent inward as the shining blade sheathed itself in the center of Jafar's chest.

The wolf's eyebrows rose in surprise, and he stared at Anaiya with an expression of intense interest. His hand, still holding the gleaming gold blade, rose.

Anaiya was taking no chances. Taking hold of the blade embedded in her shoulder, the vixen tore it out with a snarl and slashed up with all her strength, shearing through the wolf's outstretched hand. The severed appendage spun through the air, alongside Jafar's saber. Anaiya snatched her teacher's weapon from the air and spun, so her back was to Jafar, almost touching him. With a growl of victory, she thrust the gilded blade backwards under her arm, impaling the man who had been her teacher, her friend, brutally burying the weapon up to the hilt in his gut.

Anaiya turned slowly, shrugging against the fire in her shoulder. _I did it._

Jafar was kneeling at the edge of an exceptionally large hole, gurgling slightly as he laughed. His blood dripped into the black recesses of the pit.

"I did warn you not to underestimate me," the vixen noted dispassionately as she surveyed the defeated lupine.

Jafar chuckled softly, his remaining hand clasped over his punctured stomach. "So you did. Well? How do you feel now?"

Anaiya considered for a moment. "I feel…" she frowned. "Nothing. I don't feel anything. It was just a mission; nothing more."

And it was true. She felt nothing at all. She expected to feel pity, remorse, anger, hate, _anything_ but this emptiness.

Her former teacher smiled with bloody teeth. "_That_ was what I aimed to accomplish. Now you can do anything. It seems I taught you well, if you can beat me. Very clever of you to modify your wrist blade like that. I must admit, after all those years in exile I finally realized what I've lost." He paused for a moment, catching his breath. "I had essentially become what you are now, a heartless drone whose only purpose is to slaughter and destroy. That's what my life was after my brother sent me away. Before that, honor, integrity, pride, power; that was my chivalry, in a nutshell. But now, seeing that I created something that I now regret," he smiled, almost apologetically "I feel the urge to move forward. I'm going to be rid of this pathetic state I was in and I'm ready to step back on the path of destiny, of honor. My apprentice, I taught you what I thought was the right way to live. But, seeing how innocent, how _naïve _you were, it made me realize just how wrong I was."

The injured lupine shifted his posture, blood dripping from his chest. "You have stepped off your path and, like I have been for so long, you will be trapped in this cubicle of darkness, this empty existence. Just like me you have forgotten about your past and your future, you only live for the present. There are others like me, and you, those who have become exiled, who are untouchables. I am going to find them and lead them into the future that was taken away from us." He smiled painfully up at her. "You're one of them, one of _us_. I did wrong by you, and I dearly regret that now. Can you-"

Anaiya had had enough. "Just shut up," she hissed, her teeth clenched in fury. _Now_ she felt something. "How _dare_ you. After all of that, all of that training, after everything, you have the _nerve_ to try and tell me to give it all up? Become the weak girl I was before?" Her face twisted in a snarl. "You think that I could do that, even if I wanted to?" The vixen shook her head in disgust. "You're more of a fool than I thought. And how, exactly, do you expect to 'lead others into the future'? Have you forgotten that I'm going to kill you?"

"I was hoping I could convince you to give this up-"

"Forget it. You're a dead man."

The lupine grimaced in pain and spat out a mouthful of blood. "If that is your wish. Your master awaits you, assassin. Heed him," He smirked "until he outlives _his_ usefulness."

"I plan to. Now," Anaiya stepped forward, "It's time for me to go, and you to die." She smiled sweetly, mockingly. "I think I'm going to throw you down this hole. What do you think about that?"

Jafar seemed to consider the idea. "It's a flawed plan. I could have backup at the base of this shaft to help me, or a medical droid, or something else to save my life. Then I would come after you."

Anaiya smiled at him. "You can have all the backup in the galaxy down there; it won't help you. I planned for everything." Her smile faded. "Goodbye, Jafar."

And with that, the vixen placed her heel on the still-buried hilt of the golden sword, and shoved hard. The bloodied lupine was thrust backwards over the hole. Anaiya saw a small smile flash across his face, and then he fell, vanishing into the blackness.

She stared at the spot where he disappeared for a moment. She'd killed her teacher, her mentor, the closest person she'd had to a friend in years. But he had betrayed her, tried to turn her away from the path she had chosen. So she had killed him. And she felt nothing. It was just a mission; nothing more, nothing less. She'd become what Raaze wanted, a merciless and deadly killer, with no moral qualms or reservations. If she could casually murder a friend, what would stop her from ending a total stranger's life? But she didn't do it for him, she now realized. She was going to kill Raaze one day. But for now, he was in charge.

The assassin strode silently down the outer steps of the temple, toying with a remote she had drawn from a pouch. She stared at it for a moment.

"I told you," she said to the air, "you could bring all the backup you wanted. I planned for everything."

She pressed the button.

In quick succession, the high-powered explosive charges she'd placed around the base of the ancient structure detonated. One after the other, blinding novas erupted as the rain finally began to fall, the water hissing and vaporizing as it touched the blazing fires. Almost like funeral pyres.

The assassin continued her sedate pace toward her ship, enjoying the way the flames reflected off her fighter. Once she reached the vessel, she turned back for one last look.

The temple had crumbled inward, collapsing under the heat and pressure of multiple explosions. The huge stones had cracked under the detonations, resembling half-congealed mud more than anything. Even if Jafar hadn't been dead before, there was no possible way to escape _that_.

She was the best. She had beaten Jafar, the best of the best. He had been alone, despised for what he was. It was only fitting that, as the one to defeat him, she would take his title.

She was an untouchable. And she reveled in it.

"Mission complete," said Anaiya, the galaxy's newest, most deadly assassin.

-

**FoxKong:** Thanks to everyone who read the story but credit should be given to where it is deserved. To JV my partner in crime who edited every line, one after another until they were up to his perfect standards. Without his editing this fic... would not be at the level this is. To Snake of the Rose who created the contest and whose excellent level of writing considers to inspire. To everyone else on the forum thanks for the inspiration as well. Of course if you want to find out about more about Jafar or SPW's you can check out my fanfic series Devil's Advocate.

**JVNemesis:** There you have it. Thanks for reading all the way down here. I believe I managed to get rid of all the glaringly obvious errors floating around, but I may have missed some of the smaller ones. If so, too late now. The Starfox Masterworks community, which has so kindly inducted me into their circle, set up this little contest some time ago, and we (FK and I) decided to try our hand at it. I'm not sure how far along the others are, but be sure to give them a look when their stories pop up. This is my first time not writing something on my own, and I kinda like doing this. FK did a great job with the plot, and we both had fun. You will probably see a few more things like this in the future from us. Anyway, this was to give a bit of background on both mine and FK's characters. Readers of Ghosts of the Past will not get a nearly as in depth look at Anaiya in that story, unless I change what I have planned. For those who are confused now, Ghosts of the Past is the story I'm currently working on, and Anaiya is in it, if you care enough to read more about her. And those of you who had me on alert and were hoping for a new chapter of said story, sorry to disappoint you. But don't worry; I'm working on it. It'll be up soon, and I doubt I'll have nearly as much of a delay getting the following one up. See you all later.


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